For the battle against climate change, Odisha has its first reefs of artificial and ocean forests. Dinabandhu Sahoo, a marine scientist and a professor at Delhi University, created different strategies for dealing with temperature rising, cyclonic storms in coastal regions, ocean acidification, loss of biodiversity, etc., fighting with climate change. Prof. Sahoo has devised unconventional methods that are being localized in individual Odisha coastal villages that are far away. Sahoo, a civil engineering professor at KIIT, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, and his partner, Dr. Sanjukta Sahoo, developed several types of artificial reef structures in the laboratory.
Subsequently, they put up six synthetic reefs in Odisha’s sea, the first in the state, having carried on the testing for several months. Sahoo, the former vice chancellor of FM University, believes that artificial reefs will enhance biodiversity, assist in the restoration of damaged marine ecosystems, and, in turn, raise the productivity of fisheries too.
The construction and mounting of artificial reefs is a multi-billion-dollar industry. To make their economies more profitable and to reap great revenues, some countries, especially the United States, France, Japan, China, Korea, and Australia, have put in place millions of artificial reefs on their coastlines. Roughly a half million reef balls have been used in 3,400 artificial reef and beach restoration projects in more than 70 nations worldwide.
The 480 kilometers of coastline in Odisha provide it with a potential place for viability studies. Further, the reef structures made of particular materials and designs may also lessen waves and are known for their capability to shield the coast from cyclonic storms. Moreover, as recognized by Dr. Sanjukta Sahoo, it is an ideal environment for seaweeds and some aquatic plants that can absorb carbon dioxide from water more effectively.
